Oh wow, I dated A LOT a few years ago while being gluten free, and ate out as well.
I was always nervous to tell people but if they accepted it without much hoopla, I pretty much knew they were a good guy. I also had to explain I couldn't kiss them if they had eaten gluten but it always went over well
As far as dealing with restaurants go, I'd call the restaurant beforehand and talk to the manager if possible and explain the full severity of my allergy so that when I got there, I could just say, "I'm Richelle, I spoke to you on the phone earlier about the serious food allergy."
That way I didn't have to make a big deal in front of my date. I don't have allergies to dairy but my gluten allergy is more sensitive than anyone I've ever met, so my eating options are very limited.
Hopefully you'll be able to have a little more fun on dates! If I could give my 20-something self some advice I'd say just enjoy this time and don't worry as much. I know that's not easy to do when you're in it but I really wish I had worried less.
one question: your doctor gave you an official celiac diagnosis based on a gene test? Did you have to push to get it done? My doctor says he strongly suspects celiac but he can't diagnose me without me doing a gluten challenge, which would probably kill me.

Hey Dan,
I replied to your other topic as well and gave a suggestion for a multi that works well for me!
I am extremely sensitive to gluten and react to lots that doesn't seem to bother other celiacs. For example a a restaurant in Vancouver that caters to lots of celiacs made me really sick. They say served tons of celiacs without issue (including their own chef!) but when they checked into their raw ingredients they realized the walnuts for the salad I shared with my boyfriend were "made on shared equipment with products containing wheat". I only ate like 4 walnuts and apparently other celiacs ate lots without issue.
Anyway, I wouldn't doubt your strips. I think a lot of supplement companies label "gluten free" but may use shared equipment or not consider their raw ingredients.
Here's the link for the vitamin company that's never made me sick:
http://www.amazon.com/MegaFood-Mens-Daily-Tablets-Count/dp/B00014G874

Wow, Hellbender! Thank you so much for testing these and posting the results!
I am very sensitive to gluten. I haven't ever had a problem with megafood and I feel better when I take their women's multi.
Here is a link to the men's multi!
http://www.amazon.com/MegaFood-Mens-Daily-Tablets-Count/dp/B00014G874

What?? Country life isn't safe? Oh man. I have a ton of their products,
I bought them after getting glutened from a now brand supplement they claimed was gluten free.
Has anyone else gotten sick from country life?

Do you know what I miss so much at summer BBQs? Veggie burgers. I don't mean the ones that taste like fake meat, I mean those ones that are made from grains, beans or legumes, maybe some cheese. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm quite sensitive, so certified gluten free is best, but I'd be happy to research non-certified suggestions as well.

Do you use personal care products that your daughter does not use?
While my blood tests were okay while I used regular personal care products, I still felt terrible. My blood tests were in the okay zone (14… should be >20)
I realized at some point I was reacting to my personal care products. I switched over to certified gluten free products and I felt so much better. I did this slowly, but you might want to change your soap and shampoo and maybe try no other products and see what happens? I use hugo naturals, desert essence organics, Red Apple Lipstick etc...
My blood tests also went down afterwards, from 14 to 8. I don't know if that means anything, just thought it was worth noting.

Hi everyone!
Does anyone know any brands (preferably readily available) to which they do not react? I am unfortunately very, very sensitive to trace amounts of gluten and its derivatives, including distilled liquors and "gluten removed" products.
Does anyone know of a certified gluten free brand?
Richelle

Hi there!
You sound like me a little after I went gluten free. The weight loss started to worry me when I weighed less than I did at 13!!! Crazy, huh?
The thing is, when my BMI was about 19, the weightless just stopped. Maybe this is what a healthy weight is for me? I didn't look particularly overweight before, but I did want to lose weight. After being at this weight for 8 years now, I realized I quite like it! I'm small boned so a BMI of 19- 19.5 looks fine on me.
Is your BMI below 18.5? I wouldn't worry too much. I couldn't lose weight before going gluten free either, I think my body was starving for nutrition! Afterwards, I just became a healthy weight and stayed there.

Hi there!
Has anyone ever had a problem with frozen fruit?
I haven't , but I have been buying the expensive, organic, packaged in Canada fruit. In my store, there are mangoes and durian packaged in the Philippines and Thailand, respectively.
I really want to try this fruit but I'm nervous. Has anyone ever had a gluten reaction to frozen fruit?

I love Japan!
I lived there for a few years before I knew I had celiac disease but I knew I was allergic to wheat.
My first night there, I went into a convienience store and a lovely person taught me the kanji for wheat and its pronunciation: ko mugi ko.
Knowing this helped me a lot. I can't comment in restaurants there but I will tell you that Japanese people were very lovely and helpful in regards to my allergy, however, since allergies are rare there, many people did not understand and would say: "oh, you're allergic? So you don't like bread? But you eat cake and cookies, right?"
Apparently it's quite common there to say you have an allergy to things you dislike. So be sure to emphasize the medical consequences to your child of you can . Good luck!

Hi everyone!
Well… it was awesome! Everyone was so kind and thoughtful and it went well. I think I got mildly glutened once, but I think it's because we had to buy some unfamiliar brands (all labeled gluten free… not all certified). One mild glutening in 2 weeks is pretty par for the course for me, as I am extremely sensitive and may have an allergy rather than celiac?
However, I had a terrible allergic reaction to something that is not gluten! My gluten reactions are very recognizable to me and this was different. I had horrific hives and eczema all over for more than 2 weeks. It was so awful. I still don't know for sure what got me.
Just wanted to say thank you everyone for all your help and thoughts!

I've never gotten sick from just hugging someone, but I have gotten sick from hugging someone and getting their hair in my mouth! I guess I hug a lot and I wouldn't have thought anything of it but after a few times I was researching and hair products have terrible amounts of gluten in them. Boo. I am super super sensitive. Most people would never have to consider such a thing but I'm just sharing my experience so you can feel less alone.

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Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!